Buffing wheel



March 27, 1962 c. J. PETERSEN BUFFING WHEEL Filed Feb. 17, 1960 m m m m 3,fi2fi,654 Patented Mar. 27, 1962 3,026,654 BUFEING WHEEL Charles J. Petersen, Shrewsbury Drive, Rumson, NJ. Filed Feb. 17, 196%, Sex. No. 9,238 14 Claims. (Cl. 51-193) This invention relates generally to butting devices, including buffing wheels and elements thereof.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bufiing-element construction adapted to be incorporated in a bufiing wheel, which construction is more effective in accomplishing its bufiing function, and capable of effecting substantial economies in manufacture, achieving savings in time, labor, equipment, and materials.

It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide a buffing element adapted to be constructed substantially entirely from waste material, which was heretofore discarded or sold as scrap.

The invention further contemplates the provision of an improved element for a butfing wheel which is capable of effectively performing a plurality of buffing operations simultaneously, such as heavy-cutting and high luster bufiing.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a buffing-wheel construction adapted to incorporate elements of the instant invention in a wide variety of ways to achieve buffing-wheel constructions of diiferent characters, all with the same starting materials.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a novel construction of buffing-element and wheel which have the advantageous characteristics mentioned in the preceding paragraphs and are more durable and long lasting than prior corresponding elements, and more effectively accomplish their bufling function.

A specific object of the present invention resides in the provision of an element for a buffing wheel which includes a multitude of fabric edges to more rapidly and efliciently achieve the desired buffing action.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a buffing element constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view showing a bufiing wheel constructed in accordance with the present invention, utilizing the bufi'ing elements thereof, with parts broken away and turned back to expose the wheel construction;

FIGURE 3 is a partial edge view of the bufiing wheel of FlGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a partial plan view showing a modified bufiing wheel of the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a partial plan view showing another embodiment of the present invention, partially broken away for clarity of understanding; and

FIGURE 6 is a partial edge view showing the buifingwheel construction of FIGURE 5.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and specifically to FIGURE 1 thereof, a buffing element is there generally designated 10 and includes a plurality of fabric strips 11. The fabric strips are arranged extending longitudinally of each other in a bundle of flattened configuration, having a generally oblate cross section. That is, the cross section of the element 10 is relatively wide in the lateral direction, as compared to its thickness in the vertical direction, so as to have a laterally extending major axis, and a generally vertical minor axis. The longitudinally extending strips 11, as may be seen at the exposed end of the element 10, in FIGURE 1, are arranged with their lateral dimension or width extending generally parallel to the lateral dimension or major crosssectional axis of the element. Further, the strips 11 are not superposed directly one upon the other, but in partially laterally overlapping relation with respect to each other, as is evident at the exposed end shown in FIG- URE l.

The buffing element it] further includes a wrapper 12 of suitable fabric extending circumferentially about the bundle of strips 11. The wrapper 12 may be of the same material as the strips, or of a different material, for purposes appearing presently.

Securing the strips 11 together in the above-described bundle, and securing the wrapper 12 about the bundle, are a plurality of rows of stitches 13. The stitches of the rows 13 extend transversely through the wrapper and bundle, in substantial parallelism with the minor crosssectional axis of the bundle, and are arranged in generally parallel spaced rows extending longitudinally of the bundle. It is preferable that the lateral spacing between the rows of stitching 13 be less than the width of the strips 11. By this relationship, together with the lateral over-lapping of the strips 11, it is assured that the strips are effectively secured together in the bundle, and further that each strip of the bundle usually receives two rows 13 of stitching, and is usually secured to two additional strips. Of course, the wrapper 12 is effectively secured about the bundle by all of the stitching rows 13.

The bufing element 10 lends itself to economical, continuous mass production, as by continuously passing the fabric strips 11 through a station at which the wrapper 12 is folded about the strips, and subsequently continuously passing the wrapped strips through a stitching station. It is then only necessary to transversely sever the product into bufiing elements 10 of the desired length.

When the buffing elements 10 are incorporated in a buffing wheel, it may be desirable to produce different buifing actions simultaneously, such as to accomplish a relatively heavy bufiing cut and a relatively high luster or polish. For this purpose, the wrapper 12 may be fabricated of a relatively soft, fibrous material, such as cotton, and the strips 11 fabricated of a tougher sisal, or vice verse, to obtain the combined advantages of a relatively heavy cut with the sisal portion and a high luster with the cotton portion.

In FIGURES 2 and 3 are shown a buffing wheel, generally designated 15, which includes a generally circular hub or core 16 and a plurality of bufiing elements 17 and 18 carried by and entirely surrounding the core. The bufiing elements 17 and 18 are of the same construction described hereinbefore in connection with FIGURE 1.

The buffing elements 17 are arranged in side-by-side contiguous relation, extending longitudinally of each other in edge abutment to define a generally coplanar layer of buffing elements, an upper layer as seen in FIGURE 3. Similarly, the bufiing elements 18 are arranged in longitudinally extending edge-to-edge coplanar relation to define a layer in abutting underlying engagement with the layer of buffing elements 17. The buffing elements 17 preferably extend transversely of and normal to the buffin'g elements 18. If desired, adjacent buffing elements 17 may be secured to each other, and adjacent buifing elements 18 may be secured to each other. However, such securement is not shown in the drawings, as upper and lower fabric sheets or covering pieces 19 and 2% are secured in facing engagement with the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, of the layer of bufling elements 17 and the layer of buffing elements 18. The covering pieces 19 and 20 are secured in facing engagement with opposite sides of the layers of buffing elements 17 and 18 by suitable stitching 21, which preferably extends entirely through the cover piece 19, buffing elements 17 and 18, and cover piece 20. The stitching 21 may be of circular or spiral configuration, as illustrated, or any other desired configuration.

In this partially assembled condition, the secured buffing elements 17 and 18, and cover pieces 19 and 20, may trimmed to a generally circular external configuration, as illustrated. Also, the core 16 may be engaged through a central hole in the assembled buffing elements 17 and 18, and cover pieces 19 and 20, the core being secured in position by any suitable means, such as impaling teeth 22.

The wheel construction of FIGURES 2 and 3 will now be understood as providing at its periphery a multitude of fabric edges for rapid and ellicient buffing action. If

desired, the covers 19 and 20 may be omitted, and the buffing elements 17 and 18 secured together by the stitching 21, or other suitable means.

In the wheel construction 25 of FIGURE 4 there is shown a generally circular central hub or core 26 and a plurality of buffing elements 27 and 28 carried by the core and arranged entirely thereabout.

The buffing elements 27 are arranged in generally coplanar relation with each other and the core 26 and extend radially outward from the periphery of the core. Similarly, the buffing elements 28 are arranged in genrally coplanar relation with each other and with the core 26, in substantial parallelism with respective bufiing elements 27, overlying and at least partially obscuring the latter in FIGURE 4. The core 26 includes about its periphery a plurality of impaling teeth 29 engaging in and retaining the bufiing elements 27 and 28 in their radially extending relation about the core. Also, circular lines of stitching 30 may be provided extending through the buffing elements 27 and 28, circumferentially about the core 26, at the inner regions of the bufling elements.

The bufling elements 27 may each be superposed over or in facing relation with a respective buffing element 28, so that the buffing elements 27 define one layer of bufiing elements and bufiiing elements 28 define another layer, with the layers substantially parallel to each other. It may be preferred to form each buffing element 27 and its adjacent facing buffing element 28 of the same buffing element folded or bent transversely upon itself and having its fold or bight portion secured to the core 26 by the teeth '29. Also, if desired only a single layer of buffing elements 27 or 23 may be employed.

In this embodiment, it will be noted that the buffing elements of each layer extend radially from the core 26, each being spaced in its outer region from the next adjacent pair of buffing elements on opposite sides thereof. This construction affords increased flexibility to the buffing elements, where desirable, and also provides for a high degree of cooling action, the inter-buffing element spaces permitting ventilation, for cooler running and longer wear.

The wheel construction 25 is shown without covering pieces, such as at 19 and 20 in FIGURES 2 and 3, but such covering pieces may be employed, if desired.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FEGURES 5 and 6, a buffing wheel being there designated and including a generally circular hub or core 36 and a plurality of buffing elements 37 arranged entirely about the core and extending radially therefrom. The core 36 includes a plurality of impaling teeth 39 about its periphery which engage in and retain the inner ends of the generally radially outwardly extending buffing elements 37. As is evident from the drawings, the buffing elements 37 are each in partially laterally overlapping relation with respect to the next adjacent pair of bufling elements, and more particularly, each buffing element 37 laterally underlies the adjacent buffing element on one side, and laterally overlies the adjacent buffing element on the other side. This imparts a slight pitch angle to the radially extending bufiing elements, as best seen in FIGURE 6. Notwithstanding, it may be generally stated that the buffing elements 37 extend generally radially outward from and generally coplanar with the core 36.

The buffing wheel 25 is shown as including fabric cover pieces or sheets 40 and 41 secured in facing engagement with and on opposite sides of the buffing elements 37. The cover pieces 40 and 41 may be secured to the buffing elements, and the latter secured to each other by stitching 42 of any suitable configuration extending through the cover pieces and the intermediate buffing elements. Cover pieces may be preferred under circumstances where a buffing wheel of reduced flexibility is required. However, it is understood that the covers 40 and 41 may be eliminated, if desired, either with or without elimination of the stitching 42, to achieve varying degrees of buffingelement flexibility and cooling action, as required by the circumstances.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a buffing element and buffing-wheel construction which fully accomplishes its intended objects and is Well adapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture and use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A new article of manufacture for use in buffing wheels, said article comprising a bundle of longitudinally extending woven fabric strips, said bundle having a cross section having major and minor axes, said strips being arranged with their width disposed generally parallel to said major cross-sectional axis, the width of each strip being considerably less than the major cross-sectional dimension of said bundle, said strips being arranged in partially laterally overlapping relation, and a plurality of rows of stitching extending longitudinally of said bundle securing said strips together, each pair of adjacent rows of stitching being spaced apart laterally of said bundle a distance less than the width of said strips.

2. An article of manufacture according to claim 1, in combination with a fabric wrapper extending circumferentially about and secured to said bundle.

3. An article of manufacture according to claim 2, said wrapper being secured to said bundle by said stitching.

4. An article of manufacture according to claim 2, said strips and wrapper being fabricated of fabric having different buffing characteristics.

5. A buffing-wheel construction comprising a generally circular core, and a plurality of buffing elements carried by said core entirely thereabout, each of said bufiing elements comprising a bundle of longitudinally extending fabric strips, said bundle having a cross-sectional configuration having major and minor axes, said strips being arranged with their width disposed generally parallel to said major axis and in partially laterally overlapping relation with respect to each other, the width of each strip being considerably less than the major cross-sectional dimension of said bundle, and a plurality of rows of stitching extending longitudinally of said bundle securing said strips together, each pair of adjacent rows of stitching being spaced apart laterally of said bundle a distance less than the width of said strips.

6. A bufiing-wheel construction according to claim 5, in combination with a cover sheet secured to said plurality of bundles on each side thereof.

7. A buffing-Wheel construction according to claim 5, said bundles extending radially from and generally coplanar with said core.

8. A bufi'ing-wheel construction according to claim 7, in combination with a cover sheet secured to said plurality of bundles on each side thereof.

9. A bufling-Wheel construction according to claim 7, said bundles each being in overlapping relation with the next adjacent pair of bundles.

10. A buifing-Wheel construction according to claim 7, said bundles each extending in spaced relation between the next adjacent pair of bundles.

11. A bufling-wheel construction according to claim 5, said bundles being secured in contiguous side-by-side relation generally coplanar with said core.

12. A bufling-wheel construction according to claim 11, in combination With a cover sheet secured to said plurality of bundles on each side thereof.

13. A bufling-wheel construction comprising a generally circular core, and a plurality of buffing elements carried by said core entirely thereabout, each of said elements comprising a bundle of longitudinally extending fabric strips, said bundle having a cross-section having 6 major and minor axes, said strips being arranged with their Width disposed generally parallel to said major axis and in partially laterally overlapping relation, the width of each strip being considerably less than the major crosssectional dimension of said bundle, and a plurality of rows of stitching securing together the strips of each bundle, said rows extending longitudinally of each bundle and spaced apart laterally of said bundle a distance less than the width of said strips.

14. A buffing-wheel construction according to claim 13, in combination with a pair of cover sheets in facing engagement with opposite sides of said plurality of bufling elements, and stitching securing said cover sheets in said facing engagement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 537,687 Keighly Apr. 16, 1895 563,459 Divine July 7, 1896 709,312 Farnharn Sept. 16, 1902 2,236,444 Peterson et a1. Mar. 25, 1941 2,803,096 Mockiewicz Aug. 20, 1960 

